Tuberculosis in children: What to know

Currently, the diagnosis of tuberculosis in children is still difficult due to non-specific symptoms and subclinical tests that detect TB bacteria at a low rate. Treatment of children with tuberculosis should be carried out in accordance with the treatment regimen and as soon as possible.

1. Overview of tuberculosis in children

Tuberculosis in children is not a rare clinical disease. The number of cases of tuberculosis each year accounts for about 15% of all new cases. Children with tuberculosis may have the same manifestations of all forms of tuberculosis as in adults, however the most common are infected tuberculosis, pulmonarytuberculosis, pleural tuberculosis,acute meningeal tuberculosis and some extrapulmonary tuberculosis such as bone tuberculosis, pericardosis,tuberculosis, tuberculosis … Each TB has different clinical manifestations, which occur at different ages, the degree of severeness varies depending on the location of the child with tuberculosis, the response to treatment and the amount of pathogenic bacteria.

The susceptible group is young children who have not been vaccinated against tuberculosis. The frequency of tuberculosis in children decreases with age thanks to the immune response generated after full vaccination. It should be remembered that the child's body needs time to respond to the production of protective antibodies, so after vaccinating the child, parents must not be subjective and need to protect the child from risk factors or sources of tuberculosis infection.

BCG

BCG Tuberculosis Vaccination Vaccine

Common clinical symptoms when a child has tuberculosis are fever and cough that lasts more than 10 days, poor eating, weight loss, ease of crying, and some characteristic manifestations with each affected agency. Because of similar manifestations to other conditions, parents are often subjective, self-treating at home, delaying the recognition and treatment of tuberculosis as well as increasing infection rates for the community. Children with tuberculosis over 5 years of age are more likely to be infected because they can perform spitting and releasing bacteria into the external environment. Tuberculosis in children who are not treated early can lead to many serious complications for the child such as spinal deformity, deafness, blindness, kinhg, paralysis or even death, depending on the form of tuberculosis and its complications. Tuberculosis in children is a preventable disease and vaccination against tuberculosis is the most effective proactive preventive measure.

2. Some children's tuberculosis

  • Infected tuberculosis

This is the most common form of tuberculosis, especially in children under 5 years of age who are not vaccinated against tuberculosis. Infected tuberculosis usually shows no clinical symptoms or only transient signs such as mild fever with fatigue. Vague clinical manifestations make pre-infection is common in the community but is easy to miss. Inadequate vaccination history is a very valuable suggestive sign, helping to detect tuberculosis in children in many cases. Some children with preliminary tuberculosis can cure themselves if the resistance is good.

Children with mild fever

Preliminary tuberculosis usually occurs in children under 5 years old
  • Meningeal tuberculosis

This is a severe acute tuberculosis, progressing from tb infection when TB bacteria spread by bloodstream to the central nervous system. Complications of meningococal tuberculosis are often severe and persist for the rest of the child's life such as menstruation, exhaustion, intellectual returality, and even death. Children with meningeal tuberculosis have symptoms, appearing after contracting preliminary tuberculosis for a few days to several months, including high fever, headache, stiff neck, jerky, eye dyslecymia, convulsions, seizures …

  • Pulmonary tuberculosis

Along with pleural tuberculosis, this is a common respiratory tuberculosis in children older than 5 years, especially those who are in puberty. Children with pulmonary tuberculosis may be exposed to tuberculosis or directly by contact with family members with tuberculosis. Pulmonary tuberculosis after tuberculosis usually takes months to appear symptoms. Clinical manifestations of pulmonary tuberculosis in children have many similarities with tuberculosis in adults such as mild afternoon fever, weight loss, prolonged sputum cough that may have blood, chest pain. The diagnostic procedure for pulmonary tuberculosis in children is carried out by combining imaging and testing for tb bacteria in the sysentary or gastric juice in 3 samples taken at least 1 day apart by fresh screening and culture for bacteria.

  • Extrapulmonary tuberculosis

This is the latest common complications after tuberculosis infection. Extrapulmonary tuberculosis is very diverse with many different forms such as spinaltuberculosis, tuberculosis, pericardosis,urinary tuberculosis, intestinal tuberculosis … Children may have multiple pulmonary tuberculosis or pulmonary tuberculosis and extrapulmonary tuberculosis at the same time. Clinical symptoms are abundant depending on the affected body. Pain and deformity of the spine encountered in spinal tuberculosis. Swelling of testes and hematoma encountered in spinal tuberculosis. Swelling of the lymph nodes many positions in the body are in the lymph nodes.

scoliosis

Spinal tuberculosis leaves patients with injuries and curvature of scoliosis

3. Signs of recognition of a child with tuberculosis

Clinical symptoms in children with tuberculosis are often abundant and variable. Children with tuberculosis may have obvious manifestations, rampant in emergency tuberculosis such as meningococal tuberculosis and millet tuberculosis. On the contrary, children with infected primary tuberculosis have very vague clinical manifestations or do not even have any suggestive signs. Pulmonary tuberculosis and pleural tuberculosis have suggestive manifestations associated with respiratory lesions such as coughing, sputum, chest pain, shortness of breath.

Respiratory tuberculosis has different manifestations depending on the affected body. In summary, the clinical symptoms of tuberculosis are varied but nons specific, and are easily confused with other conditions. Inadequate vaccination and a history of contact with people suspected of tuberculosis or tuberculosis are valuable suggestive and oriented factors in the recognition and diagnosis of tuberculosis in children.

4. Diagnosis of tuberculosis in children

Accurate diagnosis of cases of tuberculosis should be based on subclinical tests instead of clinical manifestations of nonsular diseases, which are easily confused with other conditions. Specimens from sysentation, respiratory secretion or gastric juice or products from other suspected organ are taken for fresh examination and culture for TB bacteria. Specimens must be taken in full 3 times at 3 different days continuously. When testing positive, the diagnosis of tuberculosis in children is determined.

Tuberculosis diagnostic sysysy test

Testing for diseases that diagnose tuberculosis in children

The incidence of TB bacteria found during testing is not high. X-ray of the lungs is in question when a child is suspected to have pulmonary tuberculosis or pleural tuberculosis. Lesions of tuberculosis on pulmonary imaging can include nodular lesions, infiltration clouds, burrows at the top of the lungs, and lesions in the pleura.

5. Methods of treatment of tuberculosis in children

The principle of treatment of tuberculosis in children is similar to the treatment of tuberculosis in adults. Coordinated treatment regimens between long-term anti-tuberculosis drugs play a key role. The duration of treatment for effectiveness lasts about 6 to 9 months continuously. Oral medications must be used at the right dose and follow the doctor's regimen. The effectiveness of the treatment of tuberculosis in children depends heavily on the stage of the disease. Tuberculosis in children is detected early, when there are no complications or has not spread to other body systems with a better dosing.

The pediatrics department at Share99 International Health Hub is the address to receive and examine the diseases that babies as well as young children are susceptible to: viral fever, bacterial fever, otitis media, pneumonia in children,… With modern equipment, ile space, minimize the impact as well as the risk of spreading the disease. Along with that is the dedication from experienced doctors to pediatric patients, making the examination no longer a concern of parents.

Customers can directly go to Share99 Health System nationwide for examination or contact the hotline HERE for assistance.

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SEE MORE:

  • Tuberculosis and treatment
  • Pulmonary tuberculosis: Is vaccination contagious again?
  • Causes and warning signs of tuberculosis
SEE MORE:

  • Is drug-resistant tuberculosis curable?
  • When does drug-resistant tuberculosis occur and is it dangerous?
  • What is multid drug-resistant tuberculosis?

About: John Smith

b1ffdb54307529964874ff53a5c5de33?s=90&r=gI am the author of Share99.net. I had been working in Vinmec International General Hospital for over 10 years. I dedicate my passion on every post in this site.

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